MILTON, Ga — Station 41 on Arnold Mill Road in Milton is closed, and the firefighters are working from a nearby station until a problem with black mold is resolved.
Several firefighters became ill, and after tests were completed, high levels of black mold spores were found where they slept.
“Had a couple of firefighters that had stuffiness, stuffy nose, nothing that serious,” Chief Gabe Benmoussa said.
Milton Fire-Rescue immediately got the crews out of Station 41 late last week and moved them about a mile away, putting them farther from the Crabapple community they serve.
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Claude D’Charles, who lives in Milton, said he has never needed the service, but that would be a factor.
“Say a fire or someone needs the paramedics, that’s always an issue to be concerned with, their response time,” D’Charles said.
Benmoussa assured the community that Milton Fire-Rescue would continue to take care of the community.
“Nothing changed, the response (is) still the same, and continue(s) to provide services to our community as we work through this,” Benmoussa said.
Brian Cork, another Milton resident and former firefighter in another state who has lived here for over 20 years, said he is not worried.
“The mold may have been a bad surprise, but they probably had a good contingency plan. I’d be very confident in that,” Cork said.
According to the chief, it could take several weeks to get the mold removed and the station back open. Milton Fire-Rescue should know more after testing inside on Wednesday to find the source. The goal is to move fire crews back into Station 41 as soon as possible.
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